


When The Villains Fall

by TheresaWritesStuff



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Emotional abuse warning, F/M, Gen, Mycroft/Molly friendship, Post-Reichenbach, Sherlolly (sort of) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 08:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12076929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheresaWritesStuff/pseuds/TheresaWritesStuff
Summary: Molly deals with the emotional aftermath of "the fall" when she receives a call from Jim Moriarty's lawyer in regards to his will.Inspired by Requiem from Dear Evan Hansen: https://youtu.be/AN9x0v2-deU





	When The Villains Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Implied emotional abuse touched on in this story.  
> Thank you again to @SimplyShelbs16 for beta reading!

Molly fidgeted in the stark, cool waiting room as she tried to keep her nerves in check. It was strange to think that she was in the very same spot where she’d held Sherlock’s hand only a few weeks before. They’d pulled off their little magic trick, fooling the world into believing that Sherlock Holmes was dead. And when the adrenaline died down, Molly was there to see him off, to hold his hand and comfort him, to tell him it would all somehow be okay. She was there to be his friend. Part of her desperately wished that he could be there for her now. Another part of her—a stronger part of her—wanted him to know absolutely nothing about this…

“Mr. Holmes will see you now,” Mycroft’s personal assistant announced with a kind smile. Molly couldn’t quite remember what she’d said her name was…Andrea? That didn’t sound quite right.

Molly thanked her and made her way into the somehow even more unwelcoming office, the young woman closing the door behind her.

“I’m sorry to bother you…I just didn’t know who else to come to with this,” Molly apologized.

“You were very right to come to me, Dr. Hooper. After all, you are now under my protection,” Mycroft replied. He almost seemed as if he were attempting to sound comforting. “Do sit down.”

Molly sat down hesitantly on the edge of one of the chairs opposite his desk. The elder Holmes normally didn’t intimidate her, but something about being in his office put her on edge. Somehow it was even colder in here than it was in the waiting room.

 _Cold, sharp, unwelcoming…Mycroft certainly is dedicated to the ‘Ice Man’ persona he has built around himself,_ Molly thought to herself. After all the times that she’d heard Sherlock complain about his older brother, along with her own few brief encounters with him and the nice thank you card she had received from the elder Holmes for the plate of homemade biscuits she’d sent him last Christmas, she knew deep down it was all a façade, albeit a rather convincing one…

“May I hear it?” Mycroft asked patiently. Well, attempting to sound patient at least.

“Yes, of course. Sorry…” Molly replied, digging nervously in her purse for her mobile.

 _You have six saved messages_ , announced the automated voice of her voice mail.

_First saved message_

“’Ello Molly! It’s yer old Dad. Just wanted to say how much—“

Molly quickly pressed skip on her phone.

“Sorry…” she apologized again.

Mycroft nodded understandingly.

 _Next saved message_ “MOLLLYYYYY!!!!!! HE PROPOSED!!!! AAAAAH!! Call me b—“

Mycroft and Molly both winced at the messages volume. “My friend Meena,” Molly explained.

“Molly, I need you to come by the lab—“

Molly blushed as Sherlock’s voice played from her phones speakers, attempting to skip through as quickly as her phone would allow.

“John’s being difficult, coming by your fla—“

“Molly it’s me…I know I’m technically not supposed to make contact with anyone until the job is finished but I…”

Mycroft held up a hand, silently instructing her to not skip this message. Sitting in mortified silence, Molly complied and let the message finish playing.

“…I just wanted to…after what you did for me, I couldn’t leave without telling you that I…that I wanted to thank you… I don’t know how long I’ll be gone so…take care of London for me. And take care of yourself. I… I hope you’ll be very happy. You deserve that. Goodbye Molly…”

Molly pressed her lips together and stared into her lap. Mycroft studied his desk, his expression unreadable.

_Next saved message_

“Hello Ms. Hooper, this is Henry Leckie from Hawkins and Leckie Law Associates. I’m calling in regards to the will and testament of our former client, Mr. James Moriarty.”

Mycroft lifted his eyes from his desk, newly focused on the mission at hand. This was why she had come, after all.

“You have been listed among his beneficiaries. We have arranged a meeting to distribute and settle the remains of Mr. Moriarty’s estate at our office this coming Saturday at 11 o’clock. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.”

_End of messages_

The two of them sat wordlessly, Molly awkwardly returning her phone to her purse, Mycroft with his fingers steepled in front of him as he contemplated the contents of the voice mail. Molly tried to ignore the pang in her chest as she noticed the subtle familial similarities that were seldom visible between the two Holmes brothers.

“I’ll have a car sent to your home 10’ o clock Saturday morning with two of my best agents. They will equip you with a wire and a few surveillance accessories should they be necessary, but I doubt you shall require much as this will be no doubt be nothing more than a simple reconnaissance mission. Moriarty certainly was never sloppy about his affairs when he was among the living. I should expect him to be no different in death,” Mycroft stated formally, finally breaking the silence as he began to pull official looking forms out from inside his desk.

 Molly blinked as she processed his words. “I’m sorry…reconnaissance mission?”

“Yes, naturally Dr. Hooper. We’ve been monitoring activity within London’s criminal circles and there have been no indications that any of Mr. Moriarty’s contacts suspect your involvement in his downfall. I can assure you, you’ll be perfectly safe. You’ll meet with his lawyers, collect whatever inheritance has been bequeathed you, and should any other interesting information come to light while you’re there, you’ll report your findings back to me. That is why you called, isn’t it? To share information in regards to Mr. Moriarty?”

“Well, um, I mean of course I’m more than happy to help in any way I can Mr. Holmes, I just...” Molly stammered.

Mycroft raised an eyebrow at her curiously, looking up from his paperwork.

“Things didn’t exactly end, um, _well_ with me and Jim. Moriarty, I mean. He was Jim when I knew him…”

“I’m aware of your involvement with Mr. Moriarty, Dr. Hooper,” Mycroft replied.

“Right…I guess I just wasn’t sure what to do... Whether I should even _go_ or not…but I figured you’d probably want to know about the call so…” Molly explained, inspecting the sleeve of her jumper rather than look at Mycroft.

“I understand if this may be hard for you. But I can assure you any information in regards to Jim Moriarty’s network will be invaluable in moving along my brothers mission abroad,” Mycroft said gently.

“I know...” Molly nodded, pulling herself together. “So…the car arrives at 10, Saturday?”

“Yes. I’ll have Anthea brief you on your way out,” he said, returning to his paperwork. After a moment he added, “Your assistance in this is, as always, greatly appreciated, Dr. Hooper.”

“You’re welcome, Mycroft.” Molly smiled as she stood to leave. “I’ll do all that I can…I miss him, too.”

Mycroft bristled slightly at her familiarity but didn’t bother correcting her. He was never one to admit to sentimental attachment, but of all of his brother’s associates, he had come to like Molly Hooper best.

 

_“They say it was a car accident. Poor guy. He was such a sweetie…” Linda sighed over her lunch tray._

_Debbie nodded in agreement. “I know. He was so young. It’s so hard to believe he’s gone…Oh Molly, dear, how are you holding up? I know you and Jim were quite the item.”_

_“Not really. We only went out a couple of times…” Molly replied quietly, brushing off the older woman’s pity as she loaded a jell-o cup on her tray._

_“Really? He was always going on and on about you when he worked here. He did quit all of a sudden, though. Was that when you two broke it off? Oh, I bet he must have been heart broken,” Debbie tutted._

_“No, he was fine. He just got a better offer. Didn’t have anything to do with me,” Molly muttered, attempting to get passed the two gossips as politely as possible and get on with her day._

_“Stop pestering the girl, Deb,” Linda chided. “She’s been through enough. Molly if you ever need someone to talk to, please don’t be shy. I’m sure this can’t be an easy time for you.”_

_“Thanks.” Molly smiled halfheartedly, paying for her food._

_Linda patted her shoulder. “Any time. I can only imagine what you must be feeling. It’s never simple when an ex passes suddenly. Not to mention what you must be feeling after that mess with the detective that was always working with you turned out to have been a fraud and a scoundrel, then jumps off of…”_

_“Please excuse me. I have a lot of work to do,” Molly interrupted, taking her tray and unceremoniously walking past the two women and out of the line. It was all she could do to swallow the lump in her throat, determined not to cry in front of her coworkers._

“We should be arriving shortly, miss,” the female agent Mycroft sent informed her, stirring her from her thoughts.

“Thanks.” Molly smiled weakly and fiddled with the fake glasses they had given her for surveillance. If she had to play spy, at least she got the perk of using a few gadgets while she did so.

The car soon pulled up in front of the fairly commonplace office building to let Molly out.

“We’ll be here for you when you’re done, miss,” the driver informed her.

Molly nodded and donned her glasses. “So should I call you or…”

The woman next to her pressed her lips to contain a smile.

Molly breathed out a laugh at herself. “Right…almost forgot who I was working with.”

Bracing herself with a final steadying breath, she stepped out of the car.

 

Molly wasn’t sure what exactly it was that she had expected. A secret back room filled with dangerous looking mob bosses, perhaps? This was Jim Moriarty that they were dealing with after all. It wasn’t as if theatrics would be out of place…but the office interior was rather normal. Mr. Leckie had greeted her and ushered her into an unremarkable conference room when she arrived. He was nice. She wondered if he knew what kind of man his client had really been…

Sitting at the table, looking rather irritable, was a man Molly recognized as Jim’s friend Sebastian. He smiled coldly when she walked in the room.

“Molly Hooper,” he chuckled callously. “Why am I not surprised you’re here?”

“Well that makes one of us,” Molly replied, taking a seat across from him.

“Can we get this over with?” Sebastian asked Mr. Leckie impatiently.

“This shouldn’t take long, Mr. Moran,” Mr. Leckie assured him.

Another attorney knocked on the door before handing Mr. Leckie a memo and offering them a polite smile.

“I’ve been informed that our remaining beneficiary will not be joining us so we may as well get started,” Mr. Leckie offered with a smile, popping open the tabs on his brief case. From where she sat, Molly was able to see three envelopes inside with Jim’s handwriting on them. One addressed to her, one to Sebastian, and the other simply read “the fun one.” Molly didn’t know if she wanted to even try to guess who that one was for…

“In lieu of reading Mr. Moriarty’s full will, I have been instructed to give you these,” Mr. Leckie explained, handing them their respective envelopes. “It would seem that before his passing, Mr. Moriarty had written you each a letter. I’ve been assured that all the necessary information in regards to your share of Mr. Moriarty’s estate has been included.”

Mr. Leckie’s cell phone began to ring inside his pocket. “Pardon me a moment while I take this,” he apologized, standing up from the table. “You’re more than welcome to read your letters here if you like or on your own if you would prefer. My associates should be available to answer any questions you may have.”

Sebastian smacked the envelope against his palm with a smirk as Mr. Leckie closed the door.

“Jim always did like to have the last word, didn’t he?” he commented bitterly.

Molly hummed an absent minded agreement as she stared at her name scrawled on the envelope in front of her.

“You know what the last thing I said to Jim was?” Sebastian tapped the table thoughtfully. “I said to him ‘Stop leaving empty containers of milk in the refrigerator, you madman.’” He let out a chuckle. “He made some sort of joke about the fall of the English breakfast.”

Molly nodded. “Sounds about right... I told him to go to hell.”

Sebastian hissed in an amused grimace. “Good for you.” He regarded with a look that bordered on respect. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m reading mine now. No way that I’m walking out of here before making sure that bastard didn’t try to screw me over to clean up his mess a second time.”

“Right?” Molly commiserated.

She fingered the edges of the envelope, tentatively lifting the flap.

 

_“Why did you give him your number?” she asked steadily, staring at her kitchen counter._

_“What?” Jim asked innocently._

_“Sherlock told me you slipped him your number in the lab…said you were gay…” Molly made herself look him in the eyes._

_“Wow! He really said that to you?” Jim replied, shocked. “Some friend he is. I thought you two were closer than that.”_

_“That’s not the point, Jim!” Molly squeaked._

_Jim pouted playfully and sauntered over to her. “Oh come on now, Molly. After all the fun we’ve been having? Are you really going to believe that?”_

_He reached a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Molly swatted it away._

_“Sherlock wouldn’t lie about something like that,” she stated firmly. “Why’d you do it?”_

_“Just trying to have a little fun,” Jim responded playfully._

_Molly stared at him in disbelief. “So it is true…I think you should go.”_

_“Really, Molly. What’s the big deal? I mean come on, it’s not like I’m the only one in this relationship who is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes,” Jim spat back._

_“Excuse me?” She couldn’t have heard him right._

_“Oh don’t you play so innocent. You think I didn’t notice the way you looked at him? The way you always talk about him? Why do you think I even started dating you in the first place?” Jim retorted._

_Molly blinked him in silent disbelief. “Go to hell, Jim,” she replied quietly, her words seething._

_Jim laughed and smiled at her charmingly. “Molly, you know I didn’t mean it like that...” he said, trying to break the tension as he reached for her._

_“No I think that you said exactly what you meant,” Molly huffed angrily, pulling away. “And so did I. Go to hell, Jim. It’s over.”_

_Jim stared at her, his eyes flickering darkly before finally smoothing his expression into something more calmly aloof._

_“Fine,” he answered with a quiet shrug. Without another word he calmly walked out of her flat._

“You know what?” Molly chuckled nervously, setting down the envelope. “I think I’m going to read this another time…”

Sebastian looked up at her from his own open letter. “Alright. Suit yourself.” He shrugged.

“Um…It’s…It was nice to see you again, Sebastian,” Molly said quietly, tentatively rounding the table. “Take care of yourself, alright?”

Molly threw her arms around his shoulders, enveloping him in a hug.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by the affectionate goodbye, but squeezed her shoulder gently with a smile. “You too, Molly. You know, you were pretty alright for one of the normal ones.”

Molly laughed and adjusted her glasses. “Yeah, well, I’m a pathologist so I’m not all that normal.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Normal enough. But that’s alright I guess. Behave yourself, Molly.”

“You first,” Molly teased, earning a genuine laugh from him as she walked out the door.

**Dear Molly,**

**If you’re reading this, I’ve either officially grown tired of this boring existence we call living or someone has very rudely ended my life. But let’s face it, I probably just got bored.**

**You’ve probably figured out by now that working for Bart’s IT department was only a side gig for me. You always were clever. I did feel a little bad about playing with you like I did so as a way to make amends, I have left you the sum total of my earnings during my time as “Jim from IT.” It was all earned so honestly I couldn’t bring myself to spend it. Figured you might be able to find a use for it. Donate it to some charity. Redo your kitchen. Whatever it is you normal people spend money on.**

**I would like to request, however, that you spend at least a little of it on a nice toy for Toby. I always did like Toby. He’s a cool cat.**

**Honestly, Molly, pretending to be normal was a real drag, but you were one of the more enjoyable parts. Thanks for all the takeaway. You were one hell of a snog.**

**Sherlock is a lucky guy if he ever gets his head out of his arse. Unlikely, but I suppose you have a right to dream.**

**Have a nice life, Molly Hooper.**

**\--Jim**

 

Molly watched a flock of ducks glide across the pond as Mycroft sat down on the park bench beside her. She continued to stare ahead as she handed him the pair of surveillance glasses along with the wire that she’d worn earlier.

“That was rather clever of you to get a visual of Mr. Moran’s letter by hugging him goodbye,” Mycroft complimented awkwardly after a moment.

“Thanks,” Molly replied numbly.

Mycroft cast his eyes to the pond in front of them. “I’m not in the habit of doing this, Dr. Hooper, but I do feel that I should ask if you’re alright?”

“I will be…eventually,” Molly responded quietly.

They sat and watched the ducks float by.

“Do you know what the hardest part is?” she asked, frustrated.

“Mourning someone who is alive that everyone assumes is dead?” Mycroft answered casually.

Molly nodded. “Exactly. So many people still don’t know the truth and so they assume that I should be all broken up over Jim, even though he was a monster, and that Sherlock…It’s like everyone expects me to be mourning the wrong person…I miss Sherlock for who I know he is…and I probably shouldn’t but… part of me misses Jim for who he could have been...” Molly sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Sorry to unload all of that on you. I know _sentiment_ isn’t your area…”

Mycroft handed her his handkerchief. “Doesn’t mean I’m incapable of understanding it.”

Molly laughed and blotted her eyes.

“So…What are you planning to do with your inheritance?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Don’t know yet,” she sighed. “Honestly I don’t know if I want it…” Molly thought a moment. “Think Sherlock could use a few new disguises?”

Mycroft smiled. “A very poetic solution, Dr. Hooper.”

“He did say I could spend it however I wanted,” Molly chuckled.

“You certainly earned that right,” Mycroft agreed. “You also earned this.”

Mycroft handed her a plastic container containing a fairy cake. Molly looked him in surprise, touched by the gesture.

“You’ve done more than your fair share, far beyond what should have been asked of you…And those always make me feel a little bit better after a hard day.”

Molly smiled gratefully and rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re a real softy, Mycroft Holmes.”

Mycroft patted her knee awkwardly. “I know.”

 


End file.
